Do you have questions about the ethics requirements of funding bodies, ethical review or approval, research integrity or any other aspects of research ethics? Would you like to run for your research group or PhD school in a tailor-made research ethics workshop? Whether it is about a national or international research proposal or a contribution to a journal – feel free to contact the Service Unit of Responsible Research Practices: ethics@tuwien.ac.at

The Service Unit of Responsible Research Practices supports and advises researchers on all practical research ethics issues, such as:

  • addressing potential ethical issues in your research;
  • integrating research ethics into your research design;
  • support in formulating statements concerning research ethics in research proposals;
  • addressing ethics requirements issued by funding bodies to research proposals;
  • consultation within the scope of the TUW Research Ethics Committee.

As a lecturer, you can approach the Service Unit of Responsible Research Practices for support in integrating research ethics and/or research integrity into your lecture or seminar.

If you are a student whose thesis appears to raise research ethical questions, please ask your supervisor to get in touch with the Service Unit of Responsible Research Practices for a consultation. Master students of the faculties of informatics, technical chemistry and physics who are writing their theses can contact the Mentors of Responsible Research Practices.

As a research group or organizational unit, you can inquire about tailor-made workshops or seminars of the Service Unit of Responsible Research Practices.

Research Ethics Check Lists

The following check lists can help you identify research ethics issues in your work:

Does your research involve …

  • human participants (in interviews, or, observations that are audio and/or video recorded)?
  • human participants in technology/prototype trials?
  • potentially vulnerable persons (e.g. children, persons unable to consent, minorities, marginalised people, migrants, refugees, victims of abuse and violence)?
  • methods and/or settings that affect human participants’ well-being physically or mentally (e.g. deception research)?
  • a risk of injury (e.g. tasks involving physical activity)?
  • physical interventions on humans (fMRI with children, obtaining tissue samples)?
  • biological material (cells/tissues) from living persons or biobanks?
  • processing of personal data about human subjects (processing includes activities such as collecting, storing, analyzing, disseminating and compiling). The data may take various forms, e.g. text, sound, or pictures.)?
  • elements that reveal participants’ ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, gender identity, sex life or sexual orientation?
  • processing genetic data, biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person, data concerning health, or data concerning a natural person’s gender identity, sex life or sexual orientation?
  • possibility of results/aspects/implications that can be misused by others?

If you answered one or more of the questions with “yes”, contact the Service Unit of Responsible Research Practices before you submit your research proposal.

  • Does your research involve physical interventions on animals?
  • Does your research involve secondary use of personal data from other research projects?
  • Does your research involve methods, experiments or substances that may be harmful for the environment or research staff?
  • Will your research be performed in a country that is not an EU Member State?
  • Does your research have potential dual-use and/or misuse aspects (regarding subject, funding body, project partners)?
  • Do you plan to seek funding from the European Defense Fund (EDF), FORTE, or KIRAS?

If you answered any of the questions above with “yes”, contact the Service Unit of Responsible Research Practices before submitting your research proposal.